Australia braces for heavy winds, lightning amid bushfire threat

Overview of wildfires in New South Wales, Australia November 14, 2019. Satellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies/via REUTERS

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia braced on Friday for strong winds that began to whip up bushfires in two states, potentially adding to a toll of more than 270 homes destroyed and 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) of land ravaged during the past week.

The country's weather bureau warned that winds and lightning strikes increase the threat to communities across two states on the country's east coast, which have been ravaged by fire since last Friday.